Parasites & Parasitoids

Life on earth is so abundant that a surprising proportion of our planet's diversity thrives as parasites, deriving sustenance from the bodies of other species, or from the shared resources of social species. This gallery contains photographs of both parasites (which generally do not kill their hosts), and parasitoids (which usually do).

Strepsiptera - twisted-wing parasite

Look closely at the abdomen of this Isodontia mexicanus wasp and you'll see strepsipteran parasites protruding from between the sclerites. Strepsiptera is an order of bizarrely reduced animals that live as parasites of other insects. Urbana, Illinois, USA.